Toasted
by Kami-Kyun
Summary: Haruka Nanase is a strong girl at first glance, but when her self-esteem takes a hard blow, her true strength is tested. Can Makoto prove that she really means something? Fluffy Fem!HaruXMakoto One-shot.


**Sooo, I reuploaded this chapter because when I reread it, I found numerous errors. I fixed them, and I also added a bit of backstory. I always like backstory, I don't know about you guys though. Maybe you find it annoying? Anyway, here's the new and improved Toasted! PS: this is a one-shot, so no new chapters are coming.**

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"Hey, Haru-chan, do you want to go shopping with me?" Makoto asked Haruka. She looked at him in confusion. _Makoto almost never wants to go shopping, _she thought. She shrugged her shoulders, indicating that she unsure.

"I have to buy a new swimsuit, so I'll be going to the sports store…" Makoto added, knowing very well that the store was one of the only stores that Haruka would shop from. She turned to him with a sparkle in her eyes. "I needed a new swimsuit anyway," she said in monotone. That didn't fool Makoto though. He knew what every little change in Haru's expression meant, and the sparkle in her eyes and the slight raise of her eyebrows meant that she was excited. He smiled.

They grabbed their shoes from Haru's back door, and Makoto grabbed his wallet. As they walked down the steep steps to Iwatobi Station, Haru forced herself to not grab ahold of Makoto's hand. It wasn't like she didn't want to hold his hand, it was just that whenever they were in public together it felt wrong for her to act all lovey-dovey around him. So Haruka kept her arms at her side the entire trip. Plus, she didn't want to embarrass Makoto in public, so she resisted holding his hand, even when there was a large crowd and they almost got separated.

When they reached the athletic store, Haruka let Makoto go his own way to find what he needed and drifted over to the particular rack of swimsuits that she exclusively shopped from. While she searched through the seemingly identical suits, a group of girls from Iwatobi High slipped into Haruka's peripheral vision. She deliberately looked down to avoid eye contact with them.

The girls had a reputation at school for being terrible gossipers. Not only that, but they were extremely jealous of any girl who even tried to talk to their crushes. Unfortunately for Haruka, the leader of this group had an "undying love" for Makoto, and she had almost exploded when it was spread around school that Haruka was dating him. Noticing Haruka standing an aisle away, she walked over to her with a sickeningly sweet smile on her lips. "Oh, what a surprise! I didn't expect to see _you_ here today Haruka." she said in a fake surprised voice. Haru ignored her and continued to browse.

"Oh don't act like that, Haru-chan. I thought we were friends!" the girl complained, throwing an arm around Haru. She stiffened. "Don't call me that, we're not friends." Haru said in her coldest voice, shaking off the girl's arm. The girl's eyes narrowed. She motioned to her friends and they all came and surrounded Haru.

"What's going on between you and Tachibana-san, Haruka?" the girl whispered menacingly in her ear. Haru tried to leave their circle of makeup and expensive shoes, but two of the girls grabbed onto her arms and dug their manicured fingernails into her tanned skin. Haru sighed, "Just what you've heard at school, nothing more," answering quite honestly.

"That better be all that's going on," another girl hissed. "If that's not the case, you can be sure that we'll be there to spread some _nasty rumors_." she threatened. The others giggled behind their hands. "Why are you even here, Haru-chan?" the first girl asked, a devious smile on her lipstick-stained lips. "I see that you fit just fine in your school uniform. You have no need to shop." She snatched the swimsuit from Haru's hands and inspected it. "Yes, blending right in to the background in the uniform, I see no reason that you should be near a clothing store at all," another said. At this point, Haru was getting very uncomfortable and started to retreat into her shell.

Not bothering to whisper anymore, the girls all voiced their opinions about Haru's clothing choices. One in particular caught her attention: "Gosh Haruka, maybe you should shop at the plus-size overstock store across the street!" Haru took a sharp breath in. The other girls quickly jumped on to this new insult. There were many more thrown her way before the girls grew tired of bullying Haruka. They made sure that she knew not to mess around with their "Tachibana-senpai," and walked away.

Haru stood in front of the clothing rack that held her now _least_ favorite swimsuit. The girls had gone so far as to insult her swimsuit and her swimming style. Now usually, Haru wasn't one to worry about her clothes. To her, clothes are just things to wear over her swimsuit that were socially acceptable. And her school uniform was no different. _That's what a uniform is for right? So we all look the same and to not think about it? _She used to that was true, but not anymore. The girls had truly hurt her and had damaged her self-esteem. She started to walk away from the suits when she backed into a warm figure.

"Oh Haru! I was looking for you!" Makoto said, a new swimsuit draped over his arm. "Did you find anything you wanted?" he asked. She didn't reply and looked away from his eyes. Makoto tried to read her thoughts just like he could when they were little. Failing to do so, he just gave Haru a small smile. "I'll go pay for my stuff, then we can go home, ok?" Haruka nodded slightly and followed Makoto from a distance to the check-out counter. He paid and they started to walk back towards the train station in complete silence. Makoto's fingers searched for Haruka's and she returned the gesture, if only a little more hesitantly. Makoto could feel her hand shake in his. He respected her privacy though, and the train ride passed in total silence.

They got off at Iwatobi Station and Makoto thanked the conductor. They walked down the road leading to both of their homes while Makoto tried to find a way to break the awkward silence. But before he could open his mouth, the stairs to Haru's home appeared and she let go of his hand. "See you," Haru mumbled. She was halfway up the stairs before he could process that his hand was uncomfortably cold from the absence of hers.

Later that evening, Makoto rang the doorbell of Haruka's house, and as usual, she didn't answer. Assuming that she was in the bathtub again, Makoto walked around to the back door, balancing the hot bowl of soup from his mother in one hand while opening the unlocked door with the other. When he had come home from shopping without Haruka, his parents had been worried. They were even more worried after he told them that Haruka had been acting oddly on the way home. His mother insisted on bringing her some soup to try and make her feel better. Makoto had volunteered to deliver it to her.

Letting himself in the house, he mumbled, "Excuse me," and slipped off his shoes. He placed the bowl on the kitchen counter and headed towards the bathroom. "Haru, I'm coming in," he called, just to let the girl know to cover up before he came in; he almost always found her soaking in the tub with her swimsuit still on. But not today.

Haru wasn't in the bathroom at all. Worrying, Makoto's eyes searched the room. Finding no sign of her, he left the bathroom and started heading to the kitchen, her second most used space in the house. He stopped in his tracks when he heard rustling in the room adjacent to the bathroom: her bedroom. He knocked on the wood door, hoping that she would answer.

A few seconds later, the door was opened by a teary-eyed Haruka. "Haru, what's-?" Makoto asked, but was cut off by Haruka's fierce hug. Her heart was beating very fast and her breath came in gasps between her soft sobs. "Makoto…" Haruka whispered into his clothes. "Can…can you stay with me? Please," Haru whispered, rubbing her eyes on Makoto's shirt. Makoto smiled in spite of the situation. He was happy that he could be there for her. "Of course," he replied. They stood in the doorway of Haru's bedroom for quite a while, just holding each other. Makoto ran his fingers through Haruka's soft hair and whispered sweet nothings to her to calm her down. It didn't even matter to him exactly _what _was wrong, he just wanted to make her feel better.

Haruka's sobs gradually slowed and her breathing became very slow. Makoto pulled back a small ways to see her face. Her eyes were closed and her head rested on his chest. She had fallen asleep in his arms. Makoto chuckled softly at the romantic cliché, and picked up Haruka and laid her on her bed. When he laid her down, his left arm became trapped between her and the sheets. Not wanting to disturb her, Makoto tried to gently pry his arm out from under Haru. She fidgeted in her sleep though, unconsciously guilt-tripping Makoto.

Makoto sighed. _I think it would be fine if I stayed here with her as long as Mom doesn't find out, _Makoto thought. _But if she does find out, we'll both be in huge trouble. _When Haruka's parents left for their job opportunity, they wanted the Tachibanas to take care of her. They had very medieval ideas about their only daughter and boys. Especially if boys tried to sleep with her. Makoto cringed at the idea of Haruka's father towering over him, punishing him for being too close to Haruka.

He shook his head. _Haruka is worth more to me than anything that her father could say to me._ Taking a definite risk, he laid down next to Haruka as quietly as he could. He threw a blanket over the two of them and wrapped an arm around her. As he laid next to her, he thought about how grateful he was that Haruka was in his life.

Ever since they were little, Haru had taken the lead and provided a place for a scared Makoto to hide behind. She still did, and was never annoyed that _she _was protecting _him_, not the other way around like most girls would want. Well, Haruka _never_ wanted to conform to society. She was her own person, and she didn't let the latest fashion trend or newest boy band change who she was. That was probably one of the qualities that Makoto admired most in her. _Today though, _Makoto thought. _There seemed to be something off about her… _Makoto pulled Haru closer to himself and closed his eyes. _Tomorrow. I'll ask her about it tomorrow._

Haruka woke up to the smell of Makoto on her pillow. _Weird,_ she thought. She stretched her arms above her head. _Last I remember, I was crying…in Makoto's arms… _She blushed at the thought of being so close to him, even though they had been dating longer than Haruka had bothered to keep track of. Then it hit her like a tidal wave: why she had been crying. She covered her eyes with her pillow and let it soak up her tears. _How could I have been so stupid as to show Makoto my stupid emotions? I'm supposed to be the strong one…_ she thought, now letting tiny sobs escape her lips.

There was a knock on the door. Haruka sniffled and whispered, "Come in." Makoto entered with Haruka's apron on and a plate of toast in his hand. "Hey, good morning," he said, sitting down on the side of the bed. Haru nodded her head in greeting but didn't lift the pillow from her face.

Makoto's mouth lifted in a half smile. "Hey, you're going to suffocate like that, take it off." Makoto tried to lift the pillow from her face, but Haru only tightened her grip. "Good," Haruka muttered. "If I suffocate, I won't see them anymore."

Makoto's eyebrow rose in confusion and curiosity. "Who?" No response. "Haruka, I asked who?" She still didn't answer, but he could see her arms shaking as she held onto the pillow. _She's afraid._ "Haru, ple-" Makoto began, but stopped when Haruka sat straight up in bed and ripped the pillow off her face. Her face was bright red, and Makoto knew that it wasn't because the lack of air under the pillow. She looked at him with her eyes spilling over with tears.

"The girls at the sports store," she spit out, voice gargled by her tears. Makoto told a breath. _I knew that something was wrong when we were at the store, _he thought. He set the plate on Haruka's nightstand, then he scooted closer to Haruka and reached to hold her hand. He placed her head in the crook of his neck and kissed her hair. "Tell me," he whispered, lightly squeezing her hand. She nodded slowly and took a shaky breath. In barely a whisper she told him what had happened. "They said that I was a nobody, that I blended into the background and that no one should notice me. They said that I should shop in the oversized sections in the store," she said, pain clearly scratched into her voice.

When she finished telling Makoto what had happened there was a few moments of silence. He then began to talk. "First off: Have you never looked in the mirror? You have a beautiful figure and aren't even close to being a plus-size. I love you just the way you are, chlorine and all. Second: You are not nobody. You are somebody, you are _you_, and you're _my_ girl. You are so incredibly important to me, and I wouldn't know where I would be without you here. You keep me standing and give me something to look forward to every day of my life."

Haruka slightly pulled away. "But I _can't_ support you, I'm not even strong enough to support myself!" she argued, trying to convince Makoto that that _was _the truth.

"No Haru, you're the strongest person I know. Trust me, those girls were just trying to get to you," Makoto assured her. She looked away, hesitant to believe. Makoto then fully embraced Haruka, and held her for a long time. It was a long time until Makoto could finally feel Haruka calm down. "Hey," he said, looking down at her face. "Did you know that I love you?"

She looked up and smiled. "Of course, but did you know that _I _love _you_?" Makoto smiled widely. "Well duh." They both grinned and kissed each other softly. After they parted, Makoto whispered, "I think that your toast has gone cold." They both laughed and headed to the kitchen to make some more toast.

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**So, how did you like it? Reviews are always appreciated, and they help me write better! I might be writing more Fem!Haru in the future so keep you eyes peeled! Thanks for reading, and happy holidays!**


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